The present invention relates to a new and distinct cultivar of Camellia plant, botanically of hybrid origin and known as Camellia ‘Fall Fantasy’. The new cultivar will be referred to hereafter by its cultivar name, ‘Fall Fantasy’. ‘Fall Fantasy’ is a new perennial shrub grown for container and landscape use.
‘Fall Fantasy’ was derived from an ongoing breeding program conducted by the Inventor in Chapel Hill, N.C. The objectives of the breeding program are to develop new cultivars of Camellia with improved cold hardiness, floriferous blooming habits, improved flower quality, and extended bloom periods. The Inventor made a controlled cross in 1992 in Chapel Hill, N.C. between Camellia sasanqua ‘Wm. Lanier Hunt’ (not patented) as the female parent and Camellia ‘Snow Flurry’ (not patented) as the male parent. ‘Fall Fantasy’ was selected in 2002 as a single unique plant amongst the resulting seedlings.
Asexual propagaton of the new cultivar was first accomplished by stem cuttings by the Inventor in 2003 in Chapel Hill, N.C. Asexual propagation by stem cutting has shown that the characteristics of the new cultivar are stable and are reproduced true to type in successive generations.